The CCTV issues that curtailed First Practice for the Canadian Grand Prix have now been resolved, the FIA has confirmed. Less than five minutes of running took place in FP1 with Pierre Gasly grinding to a halt on the run to Turn 8 with a suspected gearbox issue. But a synchronisation issue with the fixed CCTV cameras used by race control ensured no further running was possible, with Valtteri Bottas securing the fastest time of the session after only three laps of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The CCTV cameras are under the control of the race organisers and not the FIA, with urgent work taking place to resolve the issues. An extra 30 minutes have been added to the scheduled Second Practice run time, with the session starting earlier to beat the sunset and forecasted thunderstorms. A report from the stewards' office read: "In accordance with Article 11.9.3.o of the FIA International Sporting Code, having received a request from the Clerk of the Course and in the interests of safety, we hereby modify the Official Programme of the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix by extending the duration of Free Practice Session 2 by 30 minutes. "Free Practice Session 2 will now start at 1630hrs."
Concerns linger
In an update ahead of FP2, however, it is understood the issue has been resolved. "The local organisers have now completed their work to resolve the CCTV issues and following a test of the system the delay in the feed appears to have been rectified," an FIA spokesperson explained. "In the event of any further issues, a backup system is in place to utilise the FOM trackside cameras as required."
Most read
